It appears that practicing traditional party politics will be the most effective course for President Obama when dealing with the republican opposition in Washington.

I think it took the emergence of John McCain's substitute stimulus bill in the Senate to wake Pres. Obama out of his idealistic dream of relying on his strident appeal to bipartisanship to advance his agenda and initiatives through Congress.

Obviously the action of the House republicans - in unanimously mimicking the behavior of the last Democratic president's Congress in their unanimous stand against Clinton's first, deficit-busting, economy booming budget bill - sent a sobering message to the new president that politics as usual in Washington had not been vanquished by his accommodating appeal.

Speaking today in support of the stimulus bill moving through the Senate, Pres. Obama reverted to a more familiar tact as he reasserted the mandate he'd fought so hard to achieve against his republican rival.

"The time for talk is over," Obama said. "The time for action is now, because we know that if we do not act, a bad situation will become dramatically worse . . . We can't delay and we can't go back to the same worn-out ideas that led us here in the first place. In the last few days, we've seen proposals arise from some in Congress that you may not have read but you'd be very familiar with because you've been hearing them for the last 10 years, maybe longer. They're rooted in the idea that tax cuts alone can solve all our problems; that government doesn't have a role to play; that half-measures and tinkering are somehow enough; that we can afford to ignore our most fundamental economic challenges -- the crushing cost of health care, the inadequate state of so many of our schools, our dangerous dependence on foreign oil," Obama said.

"So let me be clear: Those ideas have been tested, and they have failed," he said. "They've taken us from surpluses to an annual deficit of over a trillion dollars, and they've brought our economy to a halt. And that's precisely what the election we just had was all about. The American people have rendered their judgment. And now is the time to move forward, not back. Now is the time for action."

Indeed, now is the time to stand up and fight against the familiar and predictable obstruction that the republican party regularly employs as a substitute for their own lack of initiative. It's become clear that Democrats can pick off the few republican votes in the Senate they need to avoid a filibuster on the stimulus bill. I don't think they could maintain that margin of opposition party support without the insistent pressure Pres. Obama has displayed from the presidential podium over the past few days since the partisan victory in the House.

There may well be some nebulous, future political benefit from the WH posturing as willing to 'reach out across party lines' to attract republican support. But, for now, practicing progressive partisan politics from the old-fashioned bully-pulpit seems to be winning the day.

3. "So let me be clear: Those ideas have been tested, and they have failed..."

I have been waiting SO LONG to hear that said. Clear and unequivocal.

I know Obamas done and said some great things, but just this after noon I was thinking why doesn't anyone just say "we tried those policies and they don't work." Instead I hear all this garble about politics, and partisanship, and repubs screaming "more tax cuts."

That's all I wanted to hear. Now, I'd like it repeated every time a repub screams "more tax cuts."

they're such snakes. cannot be trusted obviously. i'll be writing and calling my republican senator often in the next few days, weeks, and months. and every time i do, i'll tell him that he is accountable to his CONSTITUENCY and not his fucking PARTY!

same shit different day. thank heavens it's a different president, finally.

Deconcini told the ranking Democrat to have his say because any decisions that would be made would be in his absense anyway. Conyers had to find a space in the basement to hold a hearing.The republiKKKans have nothing to add and are a spent force; ignore them.And, I think many will be pleasantly surprised that a few Democratic victories will bring some Repug stragglers supporting Pres Obama's efforts to save the country.At least Obama can say he tried to be bipartisan; now he can forget that bad idea.

Many don't see it caues the corporate media is too busy playing up the right wing talking points, but the polls are saying a different thing. People want a stimulus bill...they want money put into their local and state economies, into proping up the very social services that many now rely on for their prime source of existance and into fixing up the banking mess that has paralyzed business. Tax breaks are the last thing on their minds...especially when you have no income coming in.

President Obama isn't that naive to know he was gonna get more than a handful of Repugnicans. He knows the Senate and saw the obstructionism there over the past 2 years. He was hoping to "steal" votes where he needed them...and if you've been watching the Senate votes on ammendments, he's been getting them. But that doesn't sell well in the corporate media who need to keep the GOOP as a viable opposition to push their memes.

The truth is the majority want something done and those who stand in the way will pay a price. That's why you're seeing people like Snowe, Collins and Voinovich (even though he's not running for re-election) playing ball. While the corporate media harps on how President Obama's popularity has "dropped" to 66 percent (and how does that compare to the squatter who vacated the White House on 1/20??)...the House repugnicans are still mired in the 20% range. But the corporate media needs to present "balance" so 20% means they get more than 50% of the air time.

a bit of socialism and capitalism, limit the size of corporations and go local. more bike paths and public transportation. learn to live a full life using less energy. just quit supporting the big corporations. the Americans seem to be to complacent, can't think of another country that would put up with a congress like ours. will the americans change from big mac's, cokes and suvs? they think it's the good life.

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators

Important Notices: By participating on this discussion
board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules
page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the
opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent
the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.